Chapter 0069 The Corpse Kiln
Hans couldn't understand our conversation in Thai, so he came over to inquire, but nobody understood his German either. Raja made a prayer gesture, and Hans actually seemed to understand; he dropped to his knees and began kowtowing repeatedly. Raja didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he pulled Hans back up, and we all headed back the way we came.
After eating dinner in the wooden house, I finally saw the Arjan Master. He was a thin, short, middle-aged man. He asked, "Who is haunting you?"
I replied that it was the spirit of a Male Undead, and a particularly lustful one at that. It first haunted a friend of mine, and because I had planned to send it to Thailand to be encased in an amulet, it became vicious and decided to retaliate against me. As a result, my luck had plummeted, and I felt groggy all day. The most frustrating part was this new habit of touching women inappropriately. If I hadn't been lucky enough that they were all acquaintances, I probably would have been beaten to death by now.
The Arjan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Male Undead spirits are not to be trifled with; they specialize in attaching their malevolence to the living. When I was practicing in Myanmar, my master once encased the spirit of an introverted Male Undead into an amulet and sold it to a wealthy businessman in Singapore. Unexpectedly, the mantras couldn't suppress the spirit. The businessman went insane and stabbed over a dozen members of his own family to death."
I was terrified. I hadn't realized a Male Undead could be so powerful that even an Arjan Master might lose control. Uncle Xie asked, "Can you temporarily drive the Yin energy out of his body?"
The Arjan said, "I can try, but the fate of your friend is hard to say."
During our conversation, Hans the German leaned back in his chair with his eyes half-closed, his face flushed. The Arjan asked, "Are the items ready? Don't forget to have him carry them when we leave."
Raja brought a small jar from the corner and placed it on the table. The Arjan explained, "A few days ago when Hans was traveling in Ban Hong, he urinated on the remains of the owner of a grave. I need to move those remains to the Ten-Thousand-Grave Hill."
Uncle Xie looked uneasy and asked if he could stay behind. The Arjan nodded, but I remembered how Uncle Xie had tricked me before, and I felt quite resentful. I made up my mind to make him come along. Didn't he fear ghosts? Then I'd make sure he got a good scare. I told the Arjan Master that I was uncomfortable around strangers and only knew Uncle Xie, so I'd feel lost without him. The Arjan told Uncle Xie, "You go as well then, lest he panics and disrupts my ritual later."
Since the Master had spoken, Uncle Xie couldn't refuse. He just shot me a look and pursed his lips. I feigned an innocent expression while laughing inwardly.
After dinner, we rested in the wooden huts out back. The conditions were primitive—just a bed and two simple wooden cabinets. The bed was hard, but since I naturally prefer a firm mattress, I managed. Uncle Xie, lying on the other bed, tossed and turned incessantly. I wondered if his layers of fat were actually making the hard boards feel even more uncomfortable for him.
I don't know how long I slept, but I was shaken awake by Raja. I checked my watch; it was 11:00 PM. I felt much more alert after washing my face. It was pitch black outside, with only the two lamp stands in the courtyard providing a sliver of light. We got into the truck; Raja drove, the Arjan sat in the passenger seat, while I, Uncle Xie, and Hans sat in the back. Under the glare of the headlights, I still couldn't see where the road was, but Raja drove the familiar route with ease.
After getting out, everyone except the Arjan Master and Hans held flashlights. Although we had been here during the day, I recognized nothing in the dark. The only sound was the endless chirping of insects. Raja led the way, followed by the Arjan. Hans, with a cane in one hand and the small jar in the other, walked in the middle with Uncle Xie. I brought up the rear. I instinctively looked back; in the darkness, I occasionally saw shadows flitting about. At first, I thought it was an illusion, but the shadows became more frequent, as if a dozen people in black were stalking us.
My heart sank. I quickened my pace to keep up, leaving Uncle Xie at the very back. Uncle Xie was heavy and panting for breath, but every time I passed him, he would move heaven and earth to catch up on his short legs.
We finally reached the clearing with the corpse kilns. Pinpricks of light dotted the area—many of the kilns actually had candles burning on them. In the dead of night, hundreds of flickering lights looked incredibly eerie. I wondered who had placed them. Had someone come out with hundreds of candles after our daytime scouting trip? Judging by the length of the candles, they had been lit recently, but where was the person who did it?
The Arjan Master led us to the center of the vast field of kilns and sat cross-legged. Raja had Hans stand in front of the Master while he himself sat behind the Master, and together they began chanting in low voices. Hans was exhausted; he set the jar down and half-lay on the ground, gasping for air. The Arjan reached out and pressed his hand onto Hans's forehead. I thought to myself: how could such a sturdy foreigner be as weak as a sickly old man?
As I was lost in thought, Hans, lying on the ground, suddenly thrust his right arm straight out. I thought he was pointing at something, but I saw nothing unusual to the right.
Suddenly, Hans's body moved rapidly to the right, as if someone were grabbing his arm and dragging him across the ground. He screamed in terror, "Nein, nein!" I later learned that "Nein" is German for "No." The Arjan increased the speed of his chanting. Hans struggled desperately. I wanted to rush over and grab him, but in the end, fear won out, and I stayed back.
Hans was dragged faster and faster until he vanished into the darkness. His voice grew fainter until it was gone.
Uncle Xie and I were terrified. The Arjan signaled with his hand, and Raja scrambled up, grabbed a flashlight, and ran in the direction Hans had disappeared. He returned a few minutes later and shook his head at the Arjan. My heart hammered against my ribs. Uncle Xie stammered, "Where... where did he go?"
Raja walked over to me and said, "There was no way. Those Grave Guardians wouldn't let Hans go, even with the Master's intervention. Come on, it's your turn."
I was horrified and waved my hands frantically. "No, no way! Let's just forget the exorcism!"
"How can we do that?" Raja was displeased. "The Master has prepared the ritual tools, and they can only be used on you. You can't just quit now."
Uncle Xie asked timidly, "What... what tools?"
Raja pulled a large piece of grayish-white linen from a bundle and spread it on the ground. Then he took out a folding military shovel and tossed it to me. I caught the shovel and asked in confusion what I was supposed to do. Raja pointed: "In a moment, the Master will use a mantra to locate the spirit of a young woman. You will dig up her remains and place them on the shroud. Then, the Master will draw the lustful Yin energy of the Male Undead from your body and bury it with the woman's bones."
My face turned deathly pale. "What? You want me to dig up a grave?"
Raja said, "Of course not. This is just a mass burial site; there aren't any proper graves. If I tell you to dig, you dig." I felt like dying. I looked at Uncle Xie, but the guy had retreated far away long ago. He was crouching on the ground pretending not to see me, smoking a cigarette with a hand that shook as if he had malaria.
Left with no choice, I had to comply. I stood by with the shovel. The Arjan Master held his right hand out flat, clutching two strands of dark yellow beads, and began chanting with his eyes closed. As he chanted, I suddenly saw a figure approaching from the distance. The Arjan Master stood up and, eyes still closed, walked toward the figure. Raja signaled me to follow. Uncle Xie, seeing us leave, quickly scurried after us on his short legs.
By the time the Master reached the figure, it had vanished. There were only a few solitary corpse kilns here. The Arjan pointed to one, and Raja said, "This is the one. Dig, fast!"
Uncle Xie and Raja held flashlights for me. I gritted my teeth and jumped into the kiln, which was filled with bricks, dirt, and grass. After digging for a bit, the tip of my shovel unearthed several long femurs. A stale, fishy stench wafted out. Uncle Xie covered his mouth as if to run, but Raja grabbed him: "Keep the light steady!"
I was so nauseated I couldn't keep digging. I asked Raja how to tell which bones belonged to the young woman. Raja said, "Just keep digging; the Master will tell me when."
I had to continue. Various bones emerged—leg bones, ribs, a skull, and a pelvis. As I was digging, I heard the Arjan Master call out from outside the kiln: "That's it!" I stopped immediately. Under the beam of Raja's flashlight, the shovel was resting right against a set of ribs.